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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823865">And When The Road Gets Weary</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl'>happydaygirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Old Guard (Movie 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coping Mechanisms, Dancing, Immortal Husbands Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Love, M/M, Short One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:35:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823865</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the days are long and the nights too fierce to face, they dance.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And When The Road Gets Weary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the days are long and the nights too fierce to face, they dance.</p>
<p>It’s a tradition they started in Malta, a two week respite from blood and pain- with their days now free from their work, when their dreams became laden with sadness, with grief, with crushing panic, Joe would wake Nicky with a soft kiss, his lips lingering on the hot, sweat laden skin. He would push his hair back from his face and offer him his hand, a trusting smile on his face.</p>
<p>Nicky would take it and Joe would pull him from heavy covers and into his chest. No music would play, save for evening birdsong and the chirrup of crickets outside their window.</p>
<p>They each knew how the other suffered- being immortal, doing so much, taking so much pain, took its toll. The wounds would heal, but the mental scars remained.</p>
<p>Joe would pull Nicky closer, their chests touching as he encased both of Nicky’s hands with his own. They swayed on the spot, their eyes closed as they focused only on each to other.</p>
<p>The rhythm grew from their bodies- Nicky would start the steps to the left and right, smiling against Joe’s shoulder as he started manoeuvring them both round the room, the wooden floorboards creaking slightly as they went.</p>
<p>They would exchange no words. Nothing needed to be said.</p>
<p>Throughout the centuries they would continue their ritual- when the nights became too dark, when aparticularly horrible job haunted them, they would dance slowly together, realigning themselves as one.</p>
<p>Whether in firelight, lamplight, or in total darkness, they would move silently. Sometimes there would be music, but often times the only sounds were their footsteps and heartbeats in sync, as always.</p>
<p>Nicky would hold Joe tight, the feeling of his skin under his fingers and the gentle thud of his heartbeat against his ear anchoring him to the present, to what mattered,</p>
<p>Joe would rest his head against Nicky’s shoulder, eyes closed, grateful that Nicky was still with him.</p>
<p>No matter the storm, no matter how deep the darkness led them, they would always have each other, and that was what really mattered to them, dancing alone in the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!<br/>Please comment, I’d love to know what you think.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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